Clinton Panther 500

#1
Hi everyone.
I am in the process of rebuilding my Panther 500 engine. Engine wouldn’t turn on and it turns out that the compression was low. Thus, I’m tryin to resource a new piston ring set, either the (233-114-500) regular size, the chrome ring set (233-142-500), or the (237-142-500) .02 oversize ring set. Another option would be to also replace the piston and ring set (204-83).
I have searched far and wide with no luck. Trying to bring this engine back to life and better than new.
i have already surface prepped and painted it high high heat paint, replaced the coil, spark plug, points, gaskets, rebuilt the carburetor and verified that the condenser (capacitor) works.
I’ve had this engine since I was a kid with the intention of one day building a mini bike.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

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#2
Otto Gas Engine in Maryland will have the rings you need. Measure your bore and contact him with your needs. His prices are very fair and the rings are first rate.
 
#3
Hi everyone.
I am in the process of rebuilding my Panther 500 engine. Engine wouldn’t turn on and it turns out that the compression was low. Thus, I’m tryin to resource a new piston ring set, either the (233-114-500) regular size, the chrome ring set (233-142-500), or the (237-142-500) .02 oversize ring set. Another option would be to also replace the piston and ring set (204-83).
I have searched far and wide with no luck. Trying to bring this engine back to life and better than new.
i have already surface prepped and painted it high high heat paint, replaced the coil, spark plug, points, gaskets, rebuilt the carburetor and verified that the condenser (capacitor) works.
I’ve had this engine since I was a kid with the intention of one day building a mini bike.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have 233-114-500 and other parts.
pm me

terry
 
#4
I have 233-114-500 and other parts.
pm me

terry
Thank you for reaching out.

I was able to find a local resource for the piston rings. As for the connecting rod, it seems like this part was the Achilles heel of the motor and would get damaged when the engine was subjected to a high load. Therefore, I removed the old one and began to design a more robust one. I went ahead and machined one of of 7075 aluminum.
I installed it on the engine and it runs great! Only .25oz heavier than the stock one. Here is a video of the engine running.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/126xA-QNjL3VVto-Hvv2bdVaTZf1B9a-b/view?usp=drivesdk
 

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#6
I run a rough pass to remove most of the material but leave .02 of material. I then run 2 finishing passes at a very slow ipm to end up with a clean surface.
 
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